"Used Car Prices Australia"

It is very difficult to be objective when discussing about used car prices Australia wide. Everyone has a different experience and different tastes.

Probably the only factual information is that if you buy a brand new car you can lose about 20% to 30% of its value within 2 years.

You actually lose a whopping amount just by leaving the driveway of the dealership.

So you might be better off choosing a good used car than a new one.

Keep in mind the basic factors that influence the price of a used car when you start doing your research:

• year of build,
• mileage,
• brand,
• service history and maintenance,
• looks,
• reputation of the car manufacturer.

Used Car Prices Australia –
How to Do Your Research

• Visit car websites such as Carsguide Australia - www.carsguide.com.au and Trading Post Australia www.tradingpost.com.au. With the latter you will find various other classifieds for your home needs.
• Check the classifieds section of your local newspaper to get a feel for the private sales in your area.
• Once you get the big picture, narrow down your research to the brand, mileage or price you feel comfortable with.
• Then visit dealerships and do a test drive or more before committing. If you decide to purchase from a dealer, try to wait till the end of the month, when the pressure to achieve sales targets is higher - you might negotiate a better deal.
• June is the best month to buy a car. It is the financial year end with bargains galore.

Our Experience

• Toyotas tend to be more reliable and maintain their value better, which means you pay more when you buy but can also re-sell them with a better price;
• Holden and Ford come second in terms of resale value;
• Mitsubishi are a bit cheaper and depreciate their value quicker;
• low mileage European cars are more expensive to buy and maintain and take longer to re-sell when their mileage is high.

We bought our first car at an auction and paid $4500. It was not on our short list but proved to be good value.

We bought two more privately. One was cheap and bad and we got rid of it quickly. The other was a 10 year old Mazda with very low mileage and very well maintained. As per the ad, it had a lady owner who used it only for shopping around the corner. Quite a good buy.

Then we purchased a 2 year old model from a dealer, more expensive but better.

Used Cars Australia - where and how to buy them

Sydney Car Auctions - tips about bidding for a car at a public sale.

Used Cars Sydney - registering your second hand car.

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